Pat's Pick: Stravaigin

28 Gibson Street, Hillhead. G12 8NX (334 2665) When Colin Clydesdale and Carol Wright set up a new restaurant in the West End just over five years ago they had a clear idea of their ideal restaurant. Coming from the highly successful Ubiquitious Chip they brought with them a wealth of experience in West End dining and this they combined with innovation and a passionate interest in good food - from every corner of the globe. Stravaigin (old Scots word for wandering around) has forged a place for itself at the forefront of contemporary Scottish cooking: it has an enthusiastic clientele, achieved numerous awards and has been featured in numerous newspaper articles and guide books. The restaurant is featured in the A.A. Guide, The Good Food Guide and Scotland the Best. In recent years it has been voted: The List Readers’ ‘Favourite Restaurant, 1998’ and ‘Restaurant of the Year, 1998’ - Scottish Chefs’ Association. In 1999 it received tremendous acclaim receiving two prestitious awards: The Macallan Taste of Scotland ‘City Restaurant 1999’ and ‘Restaurant of the Year, 1999’ - The Scottish Licensed Trade “to win one national accolade is an achievement, to win two major awards in five days is a restaurant’s dream’ Carol Wright.
Colin and Carol at Stravaigin just back from their holiday in Sri Lanka have brought back new ideas for authentic tropical dishes which you can try out at their Sri Lankan Dinner Party - Tuesday, 9th May The dream has been achieved through both inspiration and perspiration - there is no sitting back on your laurels approach at Stravaigin where culinary experimentation is ever at the fore. Menus are interesting in the extreme and reflect the Stravaigin ethos of: producing innovative and interesting dishes from the best Scottish produce together with challenging ingredients from the four corners of the globe. Stravaigin has proven that a love of travel and love of cooking nice food is a fortuitous combination - some of the dishes on the menu sound not only intriguing but positively poetic. Have a night out at Stravaigin one way or another you will find staff who make you welcome, (including the charming and capable manager Ciaron Gourlay), interesting surroundings, pleasant atmosphere and of course great food. No chance of wandering off from Stravaigin. (Stravaigin is featured in the book ‘Glasgow on a plate - new recipes from Glasgow’s Finest Chefs” - edited by Ferrier Richardson, 1999.)